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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22691647">Persona 5: The Spectre</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheSasin/pseuds/ScytheSasin'>ScytheSasin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But also not, F/M, How Do I Tag, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Retelling, Teasers &amp; Trailers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:07:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22691647</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheSasin/pseuds/ScytheSasin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, a group of individuals who seem to change the hearts of those who receive a calling card from them. </p><p>Shade Kurogane is a shadow, a remnant lost to the world, nobody sees him, nobody remembers him, and he doesn't remember anything about himself. </p><p>So when Akira Kurusu and Ryuji Sakamoto stumble across Morgana and him in the dungeons of Kaneshiro's palace, he's understandably surprised.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Undisclosed Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>PLEASE READ!<br/>Hello, quick notes before we begin.<br/>Firstly, I haven't played P5R yet, as the western release isn't out. I'm not going to spoil myself by reading about it so that's that.<br/>This is set along the same lines as P5R, but since I haven't played it, I obviously cannot write much of it yet.<br/>This opening chapter is just a teaser, essentially. Here to see if there's any interest in what I'm writing.<br/>There should be another chapter by 4/21/2020, I guarantee it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Brief flashes of a long corridor are the only things I remember of my past. Everything else, name, age, home, those memories are gone. I was running, and then, nothing…” </em>
</p><p>A black-haired teen wakes up, having been unceremoniously slumped against the wall of a low-end bar in the district of Shinjuku. He stares bleakly up at the sky, trying to catch his bearings. A scar stretches from the apex of his right eyebrow to his right cheekbone, going over the eye but the eye itself wasn’t damaged. His green eyes show confusion.</p><p>“Where… am I?” He mutters to himself. Rubbing his head, then blinking as he tries to remember anything. “<strong>Who</strong> am I?!” The teen frantically tries to search through his head for any memories but finds that none are there. Rushing to his feet, he stumbles forwards but manages to stabilize himself against the wall behind him. Looking at the ground he sees a wallet, and picking it up, the ravenette sees a picture of himself staring apathetically at the unseen camera. It was his ID. Looking over it, he feels a sense of familiarity at the name.</p><p>“Shade…. Kurogane…” The teen pockets the wallet and steps out onto the main street of Shinjuku. He looks around, before seeing what was obviously a police officer. Shade makes his way over to the man, “Um… excuse me, sir?” The police officer didn’t seem to notice him, so Shade steps a little closer and raises his voice. “Officer? Hello?” Again, no reaction. Shade was extremely confused. He waves a hand in front of the Officer’s face, no reaction. Finally giving in, the teen taps the Officer on the shoulder. The policeman turns to look towards Shade, and the teen opens his mouth to speak. However, the teen doesn’t get the chance. The officer simply looks confused.</p><p>“Must have been my imagination…” The man mutters, turning back to observe the streets. Shade was dumbfounded.</p><p>“W-what?” He tries again, the same result. Next, he roughly shoves the officer. The policeman lets a startled yelp out, stabilizes himself, and then whirls around angrily.</p><p>“What the hell is your problem!” The officer snarls. Shade moves to speak once more, but a voice behind him beats him.</p><p>“S-sorry sir, I was in a rush.” The voice was male. Shade looks behind himself to see a completely random person. Shade was confused, the two people were talking to each other like he wasn’t even there, standing between them. Shade leaves the two to work out the incident as he tries to interact with more people.</p><p>To his horror, <strong>nobody</strong> seems to perceive that he was even there. The shop owners would be confused as to why the doors opened randomly. Apparently anything he picked up seemed to vanish from their perception. Anything he took he returned, however.</p><p>“Can…. Nobody see me?” Shade mutters. He sighs as he makes his way to the subway, fumbling with his wallet until he finds a metro pass. He passes through, confusing some people around him. The teen numbly realizes that nobody can see him when people try to walk right through him. “Nobody can see me…” Suddenly, the platform Shade was standing on distorts, and the subway turns red.</p><p><em>&lt;Welcome to Mementos&gt; </em>That was from his phone, that was sitting in the pocket of his jacket. It looked like a school uniform.</p><p>“Mementos?” The teen wonders, eying the creepy scenery around him. He warily wonders into the depths below. Concerned but unable to turn away.</p><p>“Hey!” A boyish voice should, and Shade turns to see what looks to be a bipedal cat with a comically large head. “You shouldn’t go down there unless you’re prepared!”</p><p>
  <em>That was the start of my personal hell. But… that was also the day I met an… eccentric individual known as Morgana. That’s also what started this whole story. The start of this… unfair game. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>---POV: ???---</em>
</p><p>In a large, extravagant casino, sirens started blaring. The casino-goers look around warily before someone shouts and points to the top of the lighting fixtures, standing there was a stylishly dressed man wearing a white mask.</p><p><em>&lt;All right! It’s time to escape!&gt;  </em>The familiar voice of Morgana booms over the comms.</p><p><em>&lt;Let’s do it!&gt; </em>This was the voice of our… newest addition.</p><p><em>&lt;No need to panic, just get out of there!&gt; </em>This was Noir, another new friend.</p><p><em>&lt;I’ll get the briefcase then.&gt; </em>Queen’s ever-diligent attitude was a breath of fresh air. I hear static over the comms, voices but hard to distinguish what was being said. Oracle tries to figure out what was going on. I silently watch through the lens of my scope as Morgana gives out his orders to Joker, the well-dressed man that had captivated the attention of the guests.</p><p>“Getting the attention of those guests is going to paint a larger target on your back, Joker,” I mutter into the comms. “I’ll try to provide fire support, but once you exit this room you’re on your own.”</p><p><em>&lt;Understood, thanks Eidolon&gt; </em>Joker’s smooth voice rings in my ears, he then proceeds to run across the light fixtures, heading towards a balcony with doors leading towards the exit when I notice two guards slam through those same doors. I try to center my sights to take a shot, but while I could get a good sightline, it wasn’t ideal enough of a shot to pull the trigger.</p><p>“No shot, find an alternative route!” I huff in frustration. Joker acknowledges by jumping across some arches towards a different balcony. Once Joker reaches the said balcony, he gets surrounded by three guards. I watch my friend smirk and jump backwards, ripping the mask off a guard and revealing its true form. I let Joker handle the Sacrificial Pyrekeeper that it had turned into, getting a bead on the other two guards on the top of the stairs.</p><p>
  <em>“This is the story of how we overcame this rigged game.” </em>
</p><p>I breathe in, and then out, and then in. My finger rests on the trigger of my rifle.</p><p>
  <em>“This is the story of the <strong>Phantom Thieves of Hearts</strong>”</em>
</p><p>As I breathe out, I pull the trigger, the sniper rifle gives a loud retort, and the bullet impacts against the mask of one of the guards, punching a hole straight through and killing the Shadow instantly. My right-hand moves the bolt back and rechambers a round with practiced ease, while I adjust my aim to the second guard, who was trying to dive into cover.</p><p>He never made it.</p><p>My rifle cracks out another retort and the shadow was no more. Joker smirks as he kills the Pyrekeeper and escapes towards the exit. That’s when I get up from my hidden position in the shadows, I shoulder the rifle across my back with the sling and make my own escape from the casino. My green eyes glowing with a smirk across my face.</p><p>
  <em>My name is Shade Kurogane, otherwise known as Eidolon, the sniper of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. In order to understand this game, one must go back… back to that day nearly half a year ago. </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Persona 5: The Spectre</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Start of Something Greater</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shade and Morgana test a theory.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So.. here's another chapter? Questionmark? </p><p>I couldn't get the idea out of my head, and I realized that I could write for a time just before Akira arrives in Tokyo.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The red-glow of Mementos floods all that could be seen, as a bipedal monster-cat is seen standing before a strange door at one end of a long station/platform that served a stop for the subway cars that seem to run around towards the depths. The monster-cat was observing the strange wall as if he was trying to go through it. A voice sounds out from the far end of the platform, where escalators going upwards are.</p><p>“So, get the wall open?” This voice was from a human, Shade Kurogane. His outfit had changed from the school uniform (the school was still unknown to him, but how hard would it be to find black and red checkered pants?) to a dark-grey hoodie with black cargo pants. Over his nose and mouth was a black, cloth mask. On his back was a medium-sized messenger bag that continued the school uniform he had. His dull-green eyes stare over towards Morgana as he makes his way towards his friend.</p><p>“No, the wall isn’t budging...” The cat sighs, walking over to meet Shade. “How’d you get down here without me? The shadows must have been tough.”</p><p>“These large shadows are relatively stupid Morgana.” The teen deadpans. “You just need to know how to slip past unnoticed.” The cat laughs, with a bit of stereotypical cat sounds mixed in.</p><p>“I still can’t believe you sneak around here without a weapon.” The child-like voice was haughty, but there was a hint of friendliness in it as well.</p><p>“You and I both know that your slingshot shouldn’t hit as hard as it does. Even in the Metaverse. It weirds me out, and blades just don’t feel right to me. Add in my lack of a persona” The teen sighs, sitting down at the edge of the platform. “I don’t know... Is it cowardly to want to be a far distance away? Sticking to the shadows and taking them down from a distance?” Morgana hums in thought as he takes a seat next to the human.</p><p>“I don’t know, honestly. You want to keep your distance since you’re a weak link after all. I’m astonished that you venture in here without the protection of a persona.” The cat muses. “So I can’t blame you for that. You’ll find something in time, I’m sure of it!” Shade grins under his mask, before standing up.</p><p>“Thanks, mate.” The teen stretches. “Anyways, I was out in the real world and got an idea.”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“The Metaverse is the world's cognition, the generalization. You called it the General Public’s Palace, where their desires shape what they see, correct?” The green-eyed teen asks, walking towards the escalators that lead up. Morgana nods in affirmation. “And if someone becomes distorted by their desires, they’ll begin to form a treasure that manifests those desires?” Another nod. “Wouldn’t it safe to assume that if someone’s treasure fully forms and their desires are so twisted, they’d form their own, individual palace?” The black cat blinks and then raises a paw to his chin to think.</p><p>“I never thought of that...” The non-human ponders this suggestion. “But how would we find these palaces?”</p><p>“Well, they still exist in the Metaverse, do they not? They’re not in their separate world. We simply need to explore the Metaverse.” Shade states, moving up the stairs to the next area. Morgana follows, and once they reach the platform above the cat and human jump down onto the tracks, opting to take their time walking through mementos.</p><p>“So instead of heading to reality we just don’t leave Mementos and use it to explore?” The cat inquires. Shade shakes his head.</p><p>“That's impossible. While they all exist within the Metaverse, I don’t believe they’re connected, since a palace is the distortion of someone’s cognition. So, getting from palace to palace probably has to be done in reality since we’re entering different people’s cognition.” The teen says this before hiding from a large, monster-like creature that the two have come to call a Shadow. Well, Shade hides, while Morgana runs up and proceeds to obliterate the shadow into nothing mercilessly. The teen sighs as Morgana begins to gloat over his victory. Once the monster-cat calms down enough to carry a conversation again, the blond speaks up. “After all, the public doesn’t perceive these other palaces, so naturally Mementos wouldn’t be able to connect with them. Remember that this is all theoretical...” Morgana sighs.</p><p>“Your reasoning is sound.” The bipedal cat relents. “Shall we go explore then?” The teen nods and they eventually exit Mementos to enter the Station Square of Shibuya. It was early in the morning, so there weren’t many people walking about.</p><p>“Let’s get to work.” Shade mutters, lowering his hood and mask, revealing his face to the sun. “You don’t need the navigator app right? How did you find the entrance of Mementos?”</p><p>“I don’t know... it was just a feeling….” The black cat climbs up to sit in Shade’s lowered hood. Effectively rendering him invisible thanks to the teen’s unique circumstances. “Wander around and let’s see.” And that’s what they do. Wonder around Shibuya looking to see if they can find something to do with the Metaverse.</p><p>An hour into their search was when the morning commute began. The two slide between people when something catches the teen’s eyes. It was a teen in a school uniform. But the most catching was the black and red checkered pants. The same school uniform that was in his bag was being worn by this nondescript male teen before him.</p><p>“Hey! That’s the uniform you used to wear!” Morgana states. Shade stares after the teen.</p><p>“Hey… could we…?” Shade starts.</p><p>“Yeah, let’s follow him, might help you learn a little about your past.” The cat agrees, and the two follow after the uniformed male.</p><p>After a relatively short subway ride, they get off at Aoyama-Itchome, and then they follow the teen to stand before the educational facility of Shujin Academy. Shade stares out at all the students that enter the school.</p><p>“I was… supposed to go here…” He mutters. Looking at his bag, and then the school once more. “I supposed to be a third-year here at this academy…”</p><p>“Some memories return?” Morgana questions. The teen just shakes his head.</p><p>“General observations.” The teen says, before moving to lean against the gate of the school and pull out his phone. A muscular man with bushy hair passes by, chatting up a blonde second-year that looks uninterested in the man in all sense of the word. The girl stops and looks back, almost in Shade’s direction, before sighing as the teacher says farewell.</p><p>“Damn pervert.” She mutters under her breath, and suddenly Shade’s phone blinks to life at the same time as Morgana gasping. The girl walks into the school.</p><p>“A palace! I feel one here!” The cat shouts in glee. Shade looks at his phone to see the navigation app that allows him to access the Mementos. It was indicating that something was here but needed two more things to access whatever it was trying to show. A blond, thug-like teen stops on the steps, glaring after the black-haired man that was there.</p><p>“Effin’ Kamoshida, acting like this school is some effin’ castle.” And that was all the two needed as they’re suddenly pulled into the Metaverse. Where the school was, stood a large castle. Morgana had changed back into his bipedal form.</p><p>“Shall we begin our infiltration?” The cat inquires.</p><p>“Like you had to ask Morgana.” The teen chuckles, pulling up his hood and mask.</p><p> </p><p>Little did the two know that in a few short days, an adventure of a lifetime would commence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there we go... </p><p>Cya next time.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>That's that for now! Tell me how I did! Or not... I dunno, it's up to you. I'm going to go to sleep now since it's 0300 hours. </p><p>I know that this is just a teaser. But if you want to talk P5, or just games in general, or get updates on my stories and stuff, I do have a discord. </p><p>https://discord.gg/cyvfyWZ</p><p>Join if you want, not pressuring you. I know that I'm just a no-name person but wanted to get that out there.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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